“Explosion” calls on the rise in county

Posted on Monday, November 11, 2013 at 11:40 am

Lincoln County sheriff’s deputies and firefighters are responding to increasing numbers of 911 calls for explosions. The callers generally cannot place the exact location of the source, but report loud booms and rattling windows. Callers say they can feel the vibrations in their homes.

Most often, the source is found to be a chemical compound used to create exploding targets for firearms practice. Commonly referred to as “Tannerite”, a popular product brand name, the powdered mixture is placed in a container and detonated using a high power rifle. In small amounts, the resulting effect is localized to the target area and relatively controlled with the impact equivalent to a consumer grade firework. When mixed in large amounts, the explosion can easily destroy a motor vehicle as seen in many other available YouTube videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECRpxjKvWqM.

Tannerite and its components are legal and readily available in local stores.

When used for small scale target practice, the compound adds an element of excitement for firearms enthusiasts. However, the larger mixtures and explosions are certainly of concern due to the inherent danger as well as the resulting multiple 911 calls. Several man hours are expended to investigate each incident in an attempt to locate the source.

When a 911 call for an explosion is received, emergency service providers must investigate and make every attempt to locate the source. The major concern when responding to an unknown explosion is that a home has exploded due to a gas leak and that someone may be injured and truly need assistance.

To help in reducing the resources expended to locate the source of the explosions, emergency service providers ask that anyone who intends to utilize exploding targets on a larger scale to simply contact and advise Lincoln County 911 using the non-emergency phone number 636-528-6100. You need only provide an address and contact phone number. This way, emergency services can easily verify the activity when reported by neighbors and quickly rule out the possibility of a life-threatening incident. This notification process works well for those conducting controlled burns and helps reserve resources for true emergencies.